I aim to create a supportive space for individuals, couples, and young families to explore and heal their relationships while growing confidently on their journeys.
what is one book that has really influenced your work as a couples & Sex Therapist?
Anxiously Attached: Becoming More Secure in Life and Live, by Jessica Baum. This book helped me better understand how emotional disconnection or insecurity may manifest in a sexual relationship. For example, an anxious partner may seek sex for reassurance, while an avoidant partner might withdraw, creating a cycle of unmet needs. By understanding their own and their partner('s) attachment style, couples can approach each other with more patience and curiosity.
How would your clients describe you?
My clients often describe me as approachable and down-to-earth, with a knack for slowing things down when life feels overwhelming. They appreciate how I can cut through the noise and help them see the bigger picture while guiding them toward practical steps for change. I love using metaphors and visuals, weaving connections to your lived experiences to help make the therapeutic process feel manageable and meaningful.
when you’re not at your therapy desk, what can we find you doing?
When I'm not at my desk, you'll probably find me caring for my ever-growing collection of houseplants, trying out new baking recipes (usually something sweet!), or pulling a few tarot cards for a little self-reflection and inspiration. My cats and dogs are usually by my side, keeping things lively and adding extra chaos to my day.
Azaria’s Full Biography
My therapeutic work is centered on the importance of a trauma-informed, attachment-based and culturally aware and sensitive approach. Using a trauma-informed approach, we will create a therapeutic space for you and your partner(s) to break through insecurities and establish healthy boundaries that allow you to break free of patterns and beliefs that kept you and your relationships stuck. Using an attachment lens, we will work together to understand how previous relationship dynamics and your upbringing impact your current relationships. We will also identify healthy ways to shift learned behaviors that block you from growing and having the relationships and sexual experiences you desire. We will work together to explore how cultural attitudes toward sex shape your relationship with your body and how they impact your sexual desire and responsiveness. In sessions, we will reflect on past experiences, positive and negative, to identify how they impact your current mental state to transform your sexuality and all parts of your life.
My passion for supporting people in their healing journeys began when I earned my undergraduate degree at SUNY Geneseo with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Human Development. This degree gave me a foundational understanding of development's psychological, social, and biological contexts and how our intersectional identities impact how we show up and interact in the world. After graduating with a BA and completing an AmeriCorps service year, my passion for social work fueled me to continue my education at Smith College School for Social Work, where I earned my Masters in Clinical Social Work. My educational background primarily used a psychodynamic approach which views therapy as an art and a science, titrating between critical thinking and self-reflection to enhance the therapeutic relationship and promote a space for healing and growth.
I was recently certified as a Bringing Baby Home provider, a Gottman Institute workshop that helps families prepare for the relational evolution they are sure to experience when they introduce their new little one to the world. I’ll be holding multiple workshops throughout the course of the year with a small group of families. If you’re interested in learning more about this workshop, please visit our Bringing Baby Home page.
As a provisionally licensed Social Worker in Maryland and Virginia, I receive supervision from Camille Espinoza, LICSW (Maryland, LCSW-C, #23647 and Virginia, LCSW, #0904012375), and Andrea Battiola, Ed.S, LPC (DC #PRC14849) to support my growth as a clinician. I offer weekday and weeknight availability, secure virtual sessions, and the option to incorporate spirituality into the therapy room. A queer- and kink-informed space where you don’t have to worry about “teaching” your therapist and a deep understanding that gender, sexuality, and relationships are unique, and your therapy process should be too.